From the Light To the Pavement
by RetardedFish
Summary: It's Rydia's birthday, and Edward comes to visit her on this special day. But not all is what it seems, and someone is waiting for Edward, waiting for the perfect moment to strike...  R&R please! First fanfic :D
1. Chapter 1: Edward possessed

_Retarded Fish:  
_Hey there it's the Retarded Fish! this is my/our first story, as my buddeh Fatass Koala will be helping me out with my story. I'm not that far ahead of you guys in writing these stories, so I'm not sure if there will be too much romance, but if there is, you can bet your behind that it'll be RydiaxEdge! Hrmy Hrm...what else? Please don't flame us for this, but constructive criticism is well appreciated. Okay, before I let you read this story, please review so I can know if you guys are willing to read this mmk?  
_Fatass Koala:  
_I WILL TAKE MY REVENGE BUAHAHAHAHAA *CHOKES* *GASPS* *DIES*  
_Retarded Fish:_  
o.o...on with the story... -drags Fatass Koala's corpse away_-_

How old is she technically, eight?

Edward thought as he walked through the forest of Mist, going for Rydia's birthday. It was going to be a quiet day, she didn't want anyone to make such a commotion just because she got older. Edward smiled, _She hasn't changed, has she? She only cared about others. _He had gotten her a present, one that is simple yet nice. It was a pendant, blue as her eyes and had this calming effect on him. As soon as he saw it, he knew it was made for her.

He walked along, staring at everything he walked by. _This forest is beautiful, _he thought, and could not resist another smile. _Her childhood must have been filled with fun memories of playing with her friends. _Coming up ahead of him, Edward saw all the building tools for the reconstruction of Mist. _But now its filled with the worries of a mature adult, _he thought sadly.

From far away he could hear her powerful voice, telling all the men what to do and keeping everyone on their feet. She needed a break. Edward hoped him being there could take her away from her worries, after all, he did owe her at least that. No, she deserved that. He walked into the center of town, where she was discussing where to place the monument that honored those whose lives were lost in the tragedy.

"Well, if we put it there, then we won't have enough space to rebuild the fountain," she was telling a man who was holding up blueprints for her to see.

The man frowned. "Very well, I'll go see where we could put it to make space for everything that was not here before this," he muttered as he walked away. Rydia rolled her eyes, and turned around. As her eyes scanned the site, she noticed Edward standing there. She beamed at him, and with the exact same energy she had as a child she raced over to him.

"Edward!" she shouted, grabbing him around the shoulders and squeezing her eyes shut. She hadn't seen him since the wedding, which had been maybe about three years ago. "Rydia! It's wonderful to see you again," he told her as he squeezed her back. She let go of him, and he scanned her from head to toe. She was wearing a leaf green blouse, and her whole outfit was green in general. The only garment that was not green, however, was her skirt. It was a soft turquoise, and it reached just above her knees. Edward wondered how she could wear such an outfit without a cloak in a cold place.

"You too! You must be the first person to visit here since the wedding!" she exclaimed happily. She had dark circles under her eyes, looking slightly tired from all the work.

"Oh! I almost forgot..." Edward said as he took out a velvet case holding her present. "Happy Birthday!" he said as he handed her the present.

"Edward you shouldn't have!" she laughed. She opened the case, and stared for several seconds at the sparking gem. "Edward its beautiful..." she said slowly. She gave him a smile that made him feel proud of his present. "Thank you," she said.

_It was worth the money to see her smile, _Edward thought, _This must be what it's like to be an older brother. _Rydia turned around and started walking back to her house. "I can't leave you out here; come inside!" she said, and opened the door.

"Very well, is the inn in business? I'm planning on spending the night here and leaving tomorrow," he asked her.

"You can stay as long as you'd like! I'd be glad to have you here," she told him as she walked into the kitchen.

Edward smiled kindly at her. _She always was full of energy, _he thought. "So who else is coming to celebrate?" he inquired. She turned around and pressed a finger against her chin. "Let's see...Cecil and Rosa said they want to come over. I don't know when exactly...but you know how it is! They might not come over since they have kingly duties and all that," she said.

"Surely they can make it, Cecil always stays true to his word. Don't worry, they'll come," he said, knowing she would be sad thinking they wouldn't show up. Cecil always did. He proved it many times.

"...That's true..." she said softly, "Anyways, do you want anything? Tea, perhaps?"

"No, thank you Rydia. In fact, is there anything YOU want? After all, it is your birthday. You need to relax today!" he said with a laugh.

"I'm so glad I have friends like you, Edward. But I'm fine. It's just that lately, all of this rebuilding and the duties that come with it are beginning to tire me," she said. _She sounds just like Anna...I mean, like Anna did. She looks like her too. Anna and I were going to get married, but when she regretted coming along without her father's blessing, she just wanted to return. Then we were attacked. Anna..._, he thought. He tried to keep a smile on his face.

**Then she could be your Anna**, a voice said in his head.

_What? _he thought in shock. That certainly wasn't his own thought. It was as though someone was talking to him telepathically.

Rydia must have noticed because she stared at Edward strangely. "What's wrong Edward? What happened?" she urged, frightened at the expression on his face. He was tense, as though they were in battle again.

**Take her. You are much stronger than she is. Cover her mouth, so she cannot use magic. Pin her arms so she can't attack you, **it told him.

Edward became frightened. _No...That would be wrong...Go away! Anna's dead, no one can replace her, ever! _He started to quiver.

"Edward! Please, what's going on? Why are you shaking?" she asked with fear climbing into her voice. She had never seen him that way before.

**You will never have happiness. I am your only chance at it. If you do not take her, I will**, it said, annoyed.

His stomach dropped as he realized his was no longer moving of his own accord. He could still see what was going on, but he could do nothing about it. He stopped shaking. "**Sorry Rydia, if I scared you. I'm just a little cold right now, since I am not used to the weather**," said the...person, or whatever it was, using Edward voice. "**Could you bring me a blanket?**" he asked.

She stared in shock at him. "Sure...o-of course..." she said, confused. As she turned around, Edward's body covered her mouth with his right hand, and pinned her arms with his left arm. _Why can't I move? Let me move! Leave her alone! What are you doing? _Edward continued to watch helplessly, as he begged his possessor to let him go.

**Why? I am only helping you. Just watch, you will be happy soon.**

_Why are you here? Me, of all people. What did she do to deserve this? Why possess me? _Edward asked in shock.

**Because you needed me. You are sad, and no matter how much you hide it, you will never be able to find happiness. It wasn't her fault, either. She's just what you need to be happy.**

Slowly, and against Edward's mental struggle for his body back, his hand covered her nose as well. Soon Rydia stopped kicking, and fell limp into his arms as he stared in terror.

**You'll see.**


	2. Chapter 2: What the hell is going on?

**Rydia P.O.V**

Ngh...Where am I...? Water? Something's dripping...on my face...what's wrong with me...? I'm not thinking straight. My birthday...

It's dark. I can't see anything. The grogginess is starting to wear off; I try to stand, only to have my efforts futile. Wha-? My waist was tied down with something, and I was pressed against the wall. Is today my birthday? Why am I not in Mist? Where am I? I try to remember what happened last. What happened so far? Let's see...I got up, got dressed, went outside, planned out the rebuilding, Edward came, he grabbed me and kidnapped me-wait...what?

I remembered clearly now. I was going to get him a blanket, and he pinned me down. But now, where am I? How long was I unconscious? I hear my stomach growl loudly. When did I last eat? Who knows how many more hours I spent awake, but eventually, I felt myself drift to sleep.

**Cecil P.O.V.**

"What do you mean, she was taken?" I almost yelled. Rosa bit her lip beside me. She held my hand tightly. "I do not know what happened exactly...It was almost as though we all just felt incredibly exhausted, and before I knocked out completely, I saw a man take her away," the man told us. "Soon we all woke up confused, and she was the only one missing," his wife said.

"You've never seen this man before?" Rosa asked. The couple looked at each other sadly, then the wife looked at the ground. "I feel like we do, but its as though we can't remember, like we did see him clearly..." she said softly. I think we both looked shocked. Who could a put group of people this big to sleep and erase himself from their memory...?

"In what direction? Where was he heading?" I inquired. The man paused for a moment and pointed in a direction, deep in the woods. "That way," he answered.

"May we borrow some supplies to go look for them?" Rosa asked.

"Rosa, he's probably long gone. Even if he stayed around, he is still pretty powerful to place an entire town full of summoners under hypnosis and erase their memory. We can't go by ourselves. We'll need whatever help we can get to find this guy," I reasoned.

"She's my friend! What if he kills her? She's never done anything wrong to anyone, what would they need her for? We NEED to look for her," she said, looking at me dead in the eye.

I sighed, "She was my friend too...but trust me, we have a better chance finding her alive if we have other people acknowledging that this has happened and assist us in finding her. For now, we go back to Baron, and send a messenger to every nation. It may be possible that whoever took her is going to use her for her power. Knowing her, she is going to resist. We have time. If she is used as a weapon, the damage could be global."

"What if she does refuse, and he kills her? That direction is our closest lead to finding whoever took her, and saving her!" Rosa said.

"She's strong, and highly intelligent. I doubt she would let herself die anytime soon. Rosa, please, I've asked many things of you, but listen to me. If this person is as powerful as I think he is, then we will probably get murdered before we even come as close to seeing her. If we unite like we did before, then we have a better chance of finding her. This isn't just about finding our friend, Rosa. This could also be about saving the world," I concluded.

Rosa sighed. She looked defeated. "Fine...but we are going to go look for her once we have enough reinforcements!" she said, determination in her eyes.

The man was still standing there. "I don't think the village should continue rebuilding until we find Rydia. She helped us get through the pain and the loss, and we began rebuilding because of her. We will help you contact the northern countries, and get our summoners ready for a search party," he told us.

I smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, kind sir. I'm afraid we are going to have to leave tonight, Rosa. We should get back in time before the messengers have gone to sleep."

Rosa still looked uneasy. "Yes, Cecil. We need to hurry."

**Third Person P.O.V.**

"Are the messengers still around?" asked Cecil, as he and his wife walked into the throne room.

Only one of the councilors was standing there dutifully. Cecil glanced around, his footsteps echoing throughout the room

Cecil paused. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"My king!" the man bowed in courtesy, "The strangest thing! They were all but inflicted with strange illnesses! Four of them went home due to painful headaches, three for chest pains, five for...ahem...digestion issues..."

Cecil stood pondering. Most of my council is sick...Rydia has gone missing...Whats going on here? "If you fear for your life, you could stay home. However, I have a favor to ask of you before you do. Please send messengers to notify all southern countries that summoner Rydia has been kidnapped, the kidnapper possibly powerful enough to destroy entire cities."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the aged man said, bowing one last time before exiting.

Cecil walked over to his throne and sat down. Rosa walked over to him. As she did, he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Who could have taken her?" he asked softly.

Rosa shifted to her left foot. "I don't know," she responded, "he could be a black mage, what with all our council being cursed. He could also sustain a magic spell or whatever he did on a whole town in enough time to escape."

He stood up, frowning. "Rosa, let's go to sleep. There's not much we could do at the moment, the best thing is to sleep, and gain a fresh start in the morning." Rosa is taking this hard. She hardly ever argues back with that much determination. She must still feel like her guardian to want to fight for Rydia without thinking things through, Cecil thought.

**_A/N_**: Rawr! I am back, more tired than usual, but keepin strong :3 I have no idea if anyone is reading this, but if ya like it, review, if ya don't and feel like pointing out mistakes, then please do review as well. But if you just feel like being a (fill in the blank) don't review, I had nothing to do with your depression. Um...let's see...I'm trying to get these out as fast as I can, but too many things going on in my life right now D': hopefully I'll update soon, sorry for the short chapters! Bai readers :D


	3. Chapter 3: What do we do about it now?

Chapter 3

"Yahh!" Shouted out Yang, in an intense battle with two of his men. The sounds of fists slamming against skin was loud, and the soldiers refused to give in. Yang's wife sighed as she leaned on a pillar, used to these kinds of battles going on for hours. Ever since the incident on Mt. Hobbs, Yang had trained his soldiers in a group when they would go to Mt. Hobbs, but in pairs, he would train them inside or near the castle.

Two men dressed in mage garments strode into the training room. By the aura they gave off, Pamela could already tell they were powerful. Pamela stood upright. She waited for them to reach her before she spoke.

"Who do I have the honor of speaking with?" She asked.

"We are the summoners of Mist. The King and Queen of Baron have desired to send you a message. Just yesterday, Rydia was kidnapped from our humble village of Mist. We came to say Baron would like a conference with all the countries. We have already gotten an accepted invitation from Troia and Damcyan," one of them said, letting the information sink in. Just then, Yang was finishing the training.

"It is an honor to train amongst you," he told his men, "You may leave to rest now."

Yang walked over to his wife and the summoners. "My beautiful wife, what has happened?" he inquired. "Rydia was kidnapped..." she informed him. "What? Rydia was kidnapped? By who? When?" he questioned, urgency clearly identified in his voice.

"We don't know much about the man who kidnapped her, but she was kidnapped yesterday, in the midst of a celebration of her birthday," the other summoner said. Yang's eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly changed his expression. "What could we do about this?" he asked.

"There will be a meeting regarding it, but the King of Baron has decided its best to make a search party for the time being," the first summoner responded, "We came as fast as we could, using our Eidolons to aid us in this rush. We would like to meet at Baron Castle with the rest of the world by tomorrow. If you cannot make it or have too many duties to fulfill, we understand. But we ask you to at least help us with the search parties."

"Of course we are willing to go! Pamela, will you inform the council that we will be departing today, and ask them to postpone whatever duties we have?" Yang asked his wife.

"Absolutely. I'll go tell the servants to pack some clothes for us as well. Do we leave right now?" Pamela asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Summoners, for traveling far to inform us of this. If you need to rest, please do. We are grateful. We shall leave soon by boat, as long as you both are ready to go." Yang told them.

"No, we aren't tired, but thank you for aiding in finding one of our own," the second summoner said.

The Seneschal was freaking out. Again. Why? Over a certain ninja king.

"Your Highness! I've asked you time and time again to work on the rebuilding. You cannot just sit around doing nothing!" he began ranting.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist," Edge muttered. The Seneschal fumed angrily, stepping in front of the young king.

"And how many times have I told you to stop talking so rudely to your elders like that?" he lectured.

Edge merely looked away, already used to the scoldings he gave. He sighed, stretching. "More times than you have hairs in your beard, Seneschal," he answered brightly.

As the seneschal opened his mouth to start his argument, a nervous messenger walked into the room.

Both Edge and Seneschal snapped their heads in his direction. The messenger coughed slightly and shifted his feet. It was only natural to feel nervous inside of a castle in which many ninjas who sneak in the shadows behind you.

Edge stood up slowly. "What message does Baron bring?" he simply asked. The messenger was wearing Baronian messenger robes, and Edge wondered what Cecil could possibly want to say. "Er...you see..." the messenger looked behind himself, as he had seen a shadow swiftly move behind him.

"Sierra, stop as well!" hissed the Seneschal. A feminine laughter emanated from within the shadows behind the throne. Edge chuckled softly, but when he caught the Seneshal's death glare, he immediately stood upright. Sierra stepped out of the shadows, but several feet away from where the laughter sounded.

"Sorry, Seneschal" she said, giggling. The Seneschal merely shook his head. "Speak, messenger," the Seneschal finally said.

"Baron would like to invite you to a conference. This conference is about Summoner Mydia," the messenger said, a look of relief on his face for finally accomplishing his mission.

Edge rolled his eyes. "You mean Rydia?" The messenger stiffened, embarrassed. "What did she do this time?" he joked.

"She has gone missing, Your Highness. It happened yesterday, and His Majesty Cecil requested to prepare a search for her, as many people believe she was kidnapped for plans of world destruction," he said.

Edge went silent. "Rydia? Is that the girl that helped Edge save the world?" Sierra asked the Seneschal, nudging him. "...Is that all?" Edge asked. "Yes, Your Highness," the messenger stated. "You may leave then," Edge said. The messenger bowed, and left.

His hands curled into fists. "Seneschal? May I ask that you take over my duties temporarily? I leave tonight" he informed. "Certainly," the Seneschal told him, clearly understanding his sudden change. However, Sierra didn't. Edge nodded, and left without another word.

"...Why did he react like that about her?" Sierra questioned, watching him leave. The Seneschal groaned, "Those two have a past together. It would take quite a while for you to understand."

Edge was walking back to his bedroom. _She was kidnapped, _he thought. He started packing some clothes. He stopped suddenly, and sighed. "Sierra, what do you want?" he asked his childhood friend. Sierra stepped forward, her lavender hair that reached her waist was moving gracefully with each step she took. She stared at him curiously. "I'm going with you," she told him.

If this Rydia person was important to Edge, then she was important to her. Electric gray-green eyes met wide hazel eyes. "Why do you want to go?" he finally said.

"World destruction seems like a pretty important issue, doesn't it? And besides, the last time you went off on a saving-the-world mission, you left without me!" she responded logically, yet with a pleading voice.

"Yeah? Well last time, I thought you died," Edge said. She nodded softly. "I know...but this time at least you know I'm alive right? I'm going with you, end of story," she said.

He smiled, ruffling her hair teasingly, a "Hey!" escaping out of Sierra's mouth. "Fine, you can come along. At least you can meet my friends," he said.

"Friends? You mean you have more friends than me?" she teased back, reaching up to practically give him a hair rape. Sierra was short for an average ninja, and seeing as Edge was above-average when it came to ninja height, she needed to step on tippy-toes. Before, it used to be a main topic for Edge's teasing. She may be short in height, but she wasn't short in skill and accuracy.

"We leave tonight," Edge said, smirking. "Sir, yes, sir!" she shouted, standing upright raising her hand to her forehead in what would be a Red-Wing army salute.

A messenger stepped through the Devil's Road exit, entering into Mysidia. As he was greeted by mages into the Hall of Prayers, he saw twin mages leaving, the girl screaming "Don't you dare leave right now Palom! You heard the Elder, we need to leave soon, and if you do, I'm not packing for you!" at the boy, who responded with "Hey, who do you think I am? I would never leave my friends for anything!"

As he was about to speak, the Elder said, "I know what happened. We leave tomorrow, son." The messenger closed his mouth. "Very well," he said, leaving in wonder.

_What could be happening now? _thought the Elder as the messenger left. He turned around, leaving to pack as well.

Edward was in the late queen's room in Damcyan, still having no control of his body. **"Oh well well!" **exclaimed the mind controller.** "Looks like everyone's worrying about poor Rydia,"** he laughed.

'What the hell are you talking about? Of course everyones worried! She's our friend! What are you planning on doing with her?'

Edward thought, fighting against his mental prison.

**"Nothing much, just going to make her yours, like I promised I would. Anna used to wear yellow right? Tell me where your mother used to keep her dresses, I need to find a match for our dear beautiful new bride"**the person said.

_'...You want to marry her, yet you are using my body, and won't even tell me who you are,'_Edward thought glumly.

**"Oh Edward, how many times have I told you this is for your benefit? She will be our bride, mainly because you would like to do 'the right thing' and let her go. She's also not an eyesore, so its win-win!,"** he laughed manically, **"Yes, I suppose it is true that you don't know who I am. Just call me...Lin."**

_'...you're a monster. She's a sweet kid! She deserves none of this, or your perversities!' _Edward begged.

**"You think that now, but watch on the wedding night!"**Lin told him. Lin's perverse thoughts reached Edward, who moaned in disgust.

_'I hope you die. I don't care if I have to die with you, or what I have to do, but mark my words: you...will...be...killed.'_Edward thought darkly.

_**A/N:**_ _Retarded Fish:_ Yeah I'm sorry my story is progressing slowly. Due to the fact that I'm too lazy to proofread this right, SOMEONE TELL ME IF I MISSPELL SOMETHING. MY DEAR FATASS KOALA IS ASLEEP AND I DARE NOT WAKE HER. She might give me rabies :3 I'll try to upload faster ppl.  
and **PrinceVeggie**, I'll try to explain later in my story, I just want to get this part over with right now -.-


	4. Chapter 4: Pointing Fingers

**Chapter 4**: Leading

"Everyone! Please sit down! We must get to work!" Cecil shouted over the raised voices of everyone at the meeting.

Cecil waited patiently for everyone to settle down, and for the commotion to die out. Once everyone was seated, he sat down.

"Okay, do we all know about why we are here today?" he asked. Everyone nodded their agreement.

"Very well. Two days ago, Rydia was kidnapped. Rydia is a very powerful summoner who knows some of the darkest black magic that has the power of even destroying the world as we know it. This kind man told us what little we know of her kidnapping," Cecil gestured to the man who had seen her kidnapper take her away. He stood up, his chair creaking.

"I didn't see much of the man. All I know, is that he managed to make the entire village of Mist fall asleep. I saw that he went into the woods, towards the direction of the mountains separating us from the Kaipo desert," the man recalled.

"That's a lead right? We could look for her in the woods, maybe he's still there?" asked a Troian cleric. Cid scoffed, shifting in his seat rather loudly. But he wasn't one to talk back to a woman. Especially if said woman was a leader of a country.

"I doubt he's still in the woods, if he is as powerful as he seems, then chances are they are long gone from the woods. He could be hiding in the mountains?" suggested Yang.

**"No. The guy could erase memories. He could move anywhere holding a fainted woman. He probably got on a chocobo by the time he reached past the mountains and flew to a normal city that could have no memory of how he came. It would be a bad idea to even look in the mountains. We don't have much of a lead, ,"** said Edward bluntly. Edge stared silently across the table at Edward. Edward glanced at Edge quickly, noticing he was being watched. **'What's the deal with him?' **Lin asked Edward (mentally, of course). _I don't know, maybe you're not 'falling into character,' _Edward responded. The real Edward had long since given up his fight against Lin. He knew it was futile to even try to kick Lin out of his head.

"Even so, shouldn't we try to look for her around that region?" asked Rosa.

"I CONCUR! That's the closest lead we have to finding Rydia," declared Palom. Porom smacked him upside the head. "Quiet!" she whispered angrily.

"Hey Cecil, I think everyone here has some sort of agreement that we need to look for clues near the Mist/Kaipo mountain range," Edge said. Sierra, who was seated next to him, nodded eagerly.

Cecil stood up once more. "Does everyone agree we should look for them in that area primarily?" Everyone nodded, Edward nodding last. "Does anyone have any suggestions they didn't get to mention today?" No one responded. "Very well. Starting this afternoon, we shall send search parties to the Mist/Kaipo range," Cecil confirmed, "This meeting is hereby over."

Some people left the room quietly. Others stayed behind. Cid, Palom, Porom, Edge, and Sierra were amongst those who left. Palom and Porom were arguing again as soon as the doors to the throne room closed. They ran around a corner, Palom trying to escape Porom's staff-hitting range.

Edge, Cid, and Sierra walked along quietly until Cid broke the silence by pounding Edge's back suddenly, almost throwing him to the floor. "How're ya takin' the news, boy?"Cid asked loudly. Sierra's eyes widened at Cid. "I'm fine. You sure hit with strength for an old man," Edge responded. "OLD? WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD? I'm pretty darn young, stupid boy!" Cid exclaimed offended. "Who are you calling stupid? I bet those damn goggles of yours have more brains than you do!" Edge said, pointing to the goggles Cid was still wearing. "Um...I'm gonna go now..." Sierra said slowly, backpedaling for a moment until she left around the corner.

"Edge...I've been meaning to ask...Who is she?" Cid said, all joking aside.

"She's my childhood friend," Edge replied, brushing his bangs away from his eyes.

"...nothing more?" Cid was letting off a suspicious vibe.

"If you're asking if we are together in that way, we aren't. She really has been my childhood friend; we've been through a lot together," he responded quietly.

"...You changed, boy. Three years and she still has that effect on you, doesn't she?"

He merely shrugged and walked away. "I don't know what you're talking about..." his voice faded around the corridor.

Cid stood there, shaking his head. "Young love..."

Edge was walking back to his room. _Edward...was acting different._

Edge had known Edward as a child. However, he wasn't really a friend. To him, Edward was always a pansy who was too scared to play in the dirt. Their parents worked together, although Eblan liked to stay isolated from the world at times. Of course, when his parents went, he had to go as well. He had no other choice but to talk to Edward, as he was the only young boy allowed in the meetings besides Edge. However, he'd known him to be an optimist, a comforter when something happened.

Granted, Edge heard when he lost Anna, he lost a lot of the hope he carried around with him. But, if he lost Rydia...

_I guess I understand... _Edge thought as he closed the door to his room behind him.

But he 'moved on' from Anna, didn't he? He became himself again after that. Why would he be a pessimist all over again? He smiled suddenly.

_Funny how I could recognize something was different from just those few sentences Edward said, _he thought. Edward must have felt some attachment though, the logic conflicted with his instincts. _He probably felt like she was much more mature than he was at their meeting. She treated him as a child when they first met, from what Rydia had told him, once when they were in the Sealed Cave._

A knock came at the door.

"Edge?" Rosa peered into his room. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Go ahead. I'm not doing anything important."

She walked in, turning only to close the door. She moved gracefully to sit on his bed.

"You've matured much since I last saw you." She settled down comfortably.

"I have?" he asked, confused. Last he checked, the Seneschal was still screaming at him nonstop.

Rosa smiled serenely. "Yes, whether you've noticed or not."

"Nah, it's just the Rydia chick," Sierra said, coming out from under the bed. Rosa jumped when Sierra accidentally brushed against her feet.

After passing the initial shock, Rosa laughed. "So you've been discovered, huh Edge?"

Sierra laughed too. "He was still being his stupid self until he got here. Now he's all serious," she said brightly.

He threw the candle holder that was next to the door at Sierra's head. She smacked it back and it ricocheted back and forth until Sierra missed and it hit her in the head. Edge laughed with a satisfied smile. "I win!" he declared. She growled, getting out completely from under the bed. "I'll kill you when there's no witnesses," she teased.

Rosa smiled. "Hello, I don't believe I've had the honor of meeting you."

Sierra rolled her eyes. "It's this dumbass's fault. He doesn't have manners." She sat down next to Rosa.

"Hello, Your Majesty. I am Sierra, ninja of Eblan." she said, doing a lazy half curtsey without getting off the bed.

"I should smack you. Even I have more manners than that," he sighed.

"This is coming from a king who insults his adviser nonstop," she shot back.

"It's fine. I don't really like having special treatment anyways," Rosa defended Sierra.

"Fine, whatever you want, Rosa," he told her.

"How exactly did you two become good friends?" Rosa asked after a moment of silence.

"It's a long story, just warning ya if ya need to be anywhere!" Sierra grinned.

"I've got enough time," Rosa said.

"Sierra and I first met in-"

Cid butted his head in, interrupting rudely with a "HEY NINJA! Ya goin' to lead one of the search parties?"

Edge glared angrily. Sierra laughed, getting used to Cid.

"Yea, I'll lead-Hey! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I CAN WALK MYSELF YOU DON'T NEED TO DRAG ME YOU PEDOPHILE-!" Edge was dragged away far enough for Rosa and Sierra not to be able to hear him anymore.

The two ladies stayed there, silent for a moment. Suddenly, they bursted out laughing.

"I think you could tell me later," Rosa said, standing up.

"Yeah, I think so too," Sierra laughed.

_**A/N:**_ Ik, Ik...I'm late. Why? I had too much homework. BUUUUUUUUUUUT, I decided to cut this chapter short and update =3= Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless ^.^ Until we meet again, eh?

Post note: yeah I think Cid is the hardest to have in character, difficult to become DL


	5. Chapter 5: Pedophiles and Introductions

Rydia couldn't hold herself up anymore. She was inches from the ground, miserable and weak. The chain was digging into her stomach. She groaned, the stale bread obviously not being sufficient enough to satisfy her hunger. She tried to move, her magic reserves were the only thing keeping her conscious. Though she had a lot of magic power, she could feel it draining lower and lower. The dripping was now all over her hair, soaking the emerald locks.

_Cecil...Where are you? I really need you right now, _She thought, tears stinging her eyes. The leaking continued to the point of irritating her. Frustration and desperation suddenly changed into anger. _It's MY birthday, and I'm stuck in a dark place chained to a wall! It's not fair and I want to relax for once!_

The adrenaline pounded throughout her body, and a fireball ignited in front of her eyes. She could finally see, and she shut her eyes to avoid the pain. After a while, she could finally open them. The adrenaline had not yet left her. She looked up, seeing that a pipe was leaking water on her. It dripped on her forehead, and she looked down again. She saw that indeed, the chain holding her in place had been cutting into her body. There was a large, red stain on her stomach. She followed the chain with her eyes until she saw that it was being held by two iron nails into the brick wall.

Frowning, she concentrated on the spot, chanting the Quake spell, but changing it as she saw fit. The bricks surrounding the nail started shaking. It kept shaking until the nail slowly started moving around. After a minute, the nail completely shook out and fell to the floor. Subsequently, the chain dropped, Rydia following. She laughed, relieved to be free of her prison. She slowly stood up, wincing from the pain of the cuts.

Shaking her legs awake, Rydia mentally moved the fireball around, finding the exit. Stepping quietly, she opened the door wide enough for her to slip by. She walked along the corridor, peeking her head around the corner once she reached the end of it. Rydia heard loud clanging heading towards her direction, and she stepped back as quickly as she could. Rydia hid behind a large vase, holding her breath. Her heart's pounding seemed audible to the whole hallway. A large soldier wearing a full metal armor suit came by, patrolling. She bent lower, and he kept walking until he missed his step, tripping onto the ground. The helmet fell off, revealing-nothing?

Rydia's eyes widened as the suit of armor stood up, putting the helmet in place again. She gasped, unable to keep quiet. _There's no one in there! How is that possible? _She thought in shock. It turned around, as it had heard her gasp, its body in the direction of her hiding spot. It walked closer, and Rydia knew there was no use in hiding. She sprang up, racing around the corner. As she rounded another corner, she heard the clanging of the metal nearing closer. She ran as fast as she could in her weak state.

There was a bump on the carpet, and she didn't notice until it was too late. She fell on the ground, unable to get up. The metal stopped next to her, but Rydia was losing her vision. The energy she had used had been too much on her debilitated body. She could only lie there, hardly feeling the piece of live armor pick her up, once again falling into a tempting slumber.

-RAWR!

The search parties had already been chosen, and were in the process of being sent out to the mountain range. Edge, Sierra, Palom, and Porom were in one airship (the Falcon, obviously); Cecil, Rosa, and the Elder in another airship; Cid, the Troian clerics, and Yang in the third one; and Edward going in his hovercraft. Cecil had argued with Edward on how the hovercraft was not going to maneuver well through the mountains. Edward simply replied that the airship would be too big for him to move around, especially since Rydia was a close friend of his, he wanted to look for her without company.

When Edge caught wind of what Edward said, he quickly went into the Falcon, looking for Sierra.

"Hey Edge, are you ready to start the flight?" Sierra asked, excited. When they reached Baron, all she had been able to see were stretches of ocean. Now she could see much more land and mountains.

"Soon," he said, distracted. "Sierra, remember how I used to tell you about Edward all the time?"

"How he was a pansy and you thought he was a princess at first?" she questioned, pulling a loose string from the hem of her cloak.

"Yeah, but he's been acting differently than I remember," Edge said.

"People change Edge!" Sierra laughed, "Stop being paranoid. Come on, we'll be the last to leave if we don't go now!"

Palom came over to them, "When are we leaving? I want to find her first!" Porom, hearing his exclamations, ran over too. "Palom! Let them leave when they want to!" She scolded.

Sierra giggled, bending down to their eye level. "We're gonna leave right now. And Palom, of course we'll be the first to find Rydia! You've got two of the best ninjas here helping you!" she winked. Palom grinned.

"Let's get a move on, Edge!" he whooped happily. Porom just shook her head.

"Fine, I guess we could start looking for her now, everyone ready?" he asked. They agreed, Sierra and Palom seemed very excited.

"Alright, lets go!" he said, smiling at them. As he passed Sierra on his way to take the wheel, he whispered, "I'm going to follow Edward. I bet he knows something." Sierra calmed down, and nodded.

Edge lifted the airship, and they set off towards the mountains, keeping close enough to see Edward's hovercraft.

-RAWR!

_Well what's your plan,_ _Lin? _Edward asked, upset that Lin wasn't grouped with anyone.

**I'm thinking how we are going to get them away from Kaipo before they get near Damcyan Castle, **Lin replied, rubbing his host's temples. Suddenly he looked up. **Something happened. Rydia tried to escape! **Lin turned on the hovercraft. **We are going to sneak away from the parties and punish her for this.**

Fear slowly entered Edward. _What are you going to do with her? _he thought.

**Let her know that she can't escape. Don't worry she won't die...most likely. **Lin laughed, starting straight through the bumpy paths in the mountains.  
_  
Bastard... _Edward growled.

**It's kinda hard to drive through these rocky trails, you know? You have a cheap hovercraft, **Lin told him.

_Deal with it, because I don't give a fuck what you think, _Edward thought coldly.

**Ooh, is someone mad today? Relax, I said she wouldn't die...most likely, **Lin teased, pulling onto the path leading around the largest mountains. **It's going to take a while to get there having to go around these mountains...**

Edward stayed silent. He was so helpless. The feeling of crying returned yet again. _I can't let him harm Rydia like Anna was!_

-RAWR!

"Hey! Where are we going? The farther away we get from Mist, the less chance we have of finding her!" Palom screamed.

"As much as I'd hate to say it, I'm with Palom on this one. Why are we moving towards Damcyan?" asked Porom.

But their words fell on deaf ears. Edge continued towards Damcyan, ignoring all sounds, so deep in thought. He had noticed that in order for the tiny hovercraft to go around Damcyan it needed to pass some rather large mountains.

_Where are you going now Edward?_

Sierra silently stared at Edge. _Does she matter so much you change when something happens to her, Edge?_

Sierra was sitting on a bench, legs crossed, sharpening a dagger which she kept hidden in her sleeve.

Porom shrugged, and left to practice her white magic. Palom glanced at Sierra, then back at Edge. Both seemed so deep in thought he felt left out_, _thinking they made some decisions without him.

-RAWR!

Cecil yawned, tired after another sleepless night. Rosa rubbed his back, using Sight to try and find anything at all. Eyes closed, she concentrated even deeper.

Cecil kept looking over the side of the airship, hoping to see any movement whatsoever.

Rosa opened her eyes. "Elder, do you feel any of Rydia's aura?" she asked. The Elder looked into her deep blue eyes silently. "We are looking in the wrong place, child," he told her. Cecil looked up, "What do you mean?" he asked. The Elder looked towards the sunset. "I don't feel her aura anywhere. At the meeting today, I felt an aura I have never felt before...with so much power, power I've never felt before. Not White Magic, not Black Magic, not even Ninjutsu," he said. He frowned, wrinkles accentuating. "Someone there was...different. It wasn't the Eblanian's friend, I was near her before it started, and her aura is somewhat weak. Someone's aura was changed. In my old age, I cannot distinguish much anymore, but I know at least someone has achieved greater power."

"You mean...someone inside our meeting has at least some idea of where Rydia is or what happened to them?" Cecil said.

"Someone who could possibly have done this themselves, yes," the Elder responded. "I shall pray for her well-being, but you need to hurry. Whoever it was is now outside and could possibly harm her. Keep an eye out for strange behavior on the airships," he warned.

Cecil looked around, seeing the airship Cid was on circling around a wide radius. The hovercraft was searching towards the north, nearing the sea. Edge's airship was flying a little too northeast._ Why would he be going towards Damcyan? Damcyan is awfully close to Eblan...he loved her too. Could he really be desperate? No, there must be a very good reason hes searching there._ _He would never do that to her, its against who he is._

Rosa tapped Cecil on the shoulder. "Cecil look! Edge's airship-"

"I noticed. He couldn't really...he's not that type of person." He told her, brushing a hand through his hair.

She thought silently for a moment. "Power...makes you do so many things. It changes who you are, makes you believe you can have anything you want. It deforms you, twisting you into a creature in which your normal mind would never even dream of being. I don't want to believe it either, but we need to look at all possibilities, Cecil. We don't have any leads..." she trailed off quietly.

"...We'll keep an eye on him. In the meantime, we should get back. We can look yet again tomorrow," Cecil told her, gesturing towards the night sky beginning to set in.

She nodded, leaning against the side. "Cecil...do you think we can find her?" she asked quietly, looking away.

Cecil glanced at her. Brushing her curls away from her eyes, he told her, "I hope so...Could you alert everyone else that we will search later?"

Rosa smiled. "They might be too far away for telekinesis (**A/N: **In mah story, people with any form of magical ability can interact with one another through magical frequencies that enter their minds telepathically...like a radio :D) Cecil," she reminded him.

"Well I suppose," he told her. Cecil turned around, and beckoned a soldier.

"Raise a white flag, and turn the airship back towards Baron," he told him. The soldier bowed, and ran to fulfill Cecil's duties.

-RAWR!

"Yang, do you think we can find her?" Cid asked the honorable King of Fabul.

"I hope so. I have faith in Rydia." Yang looked towards the now dark sky. His braid was slightly undone because of the wind.

"I never got to know that girl very well. She struck me as...emotionally scarred, however." Cid stroked his beard thoughtfully. "But that was probably because she was crying when I first met her."

"Crying?" Yang raised his eyebrows.

"It was when you 'died' in the Tower of Babil," Cid said. "She tried not to, hiding her face from everyone."

Yang smiled. "We had become close friends when she was younger. She trusted me as much as I trusted her. She has gone through a lot, so I have no idea how shes reacting right now."

The two Troians walked over. "I believe that we need to stop our search for the day," one said as the other pointed at Cecil's airship, which held a white flag.

Cid nodded, steering the airship back. "We'll find her, I have no doubt of that Yang," he said.

-RAWR!

"Edge, we need to turn back," Porom called over.

"She's right, everyone's heading back," Sierra told him.

Edge quickly looked back at the other airships. Indeed, they were turning back.

"Damn," he muttered quietly. _I'll find out where you were going Edward, and why you took her._

"Let's go then," he said, turning the airship back towards Baron.

-RAWR!

_Look, everyone has turned back,_ Edward told Lin.

**So? We can go back once I finish business. I know a very powerful and fast teleportation spell**, Lin replied.

_How will you explain going towards Damcyan and somehow miraculously appearing back in Baron when everyone is already there? _Edward said, obviously confused.

**Are you stupid? Didn't you see me put all those villagers to sleep easily? That's not all I could do... **Lin suddenly started chanting in a different language. He smiled. **There! Now it looks to them like we are going back, but they are really just hallucinating.**

_How the..? _Edward was very surprised.

**Let's go, **Lin said darkly.

Edward could only feel that something was going to happen, and he wasn't going to like it.

**A/N: **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . DANGIT WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO ME? Sorry guys, I guess too much homework pretty much killed meh. Luckily, I'm out of school now, and am enjoying my summer vacation :D So hopefully you guys still want to read this, and by the way, I put the anonymous reviews thing on so if you didn't have an account you can now review (ah mah gawd noooooooo, you say? yea ik...) -forever alone-  
Next time I'll try to update faster mmk?


	6. Chapter 6: When saving strangers

Rydia opened her eyes. Her head was pounding, and her vision was blurry. Her whole body felt like it was made of lead and she was lying down.

"**Look who finally woke up**," Lin said, leaning against the door.

Rydia looked in his general direction until her eyesight finally focused. "Edward," she stated coldly.

"**Wrong, love. I'm not Edward**," Lin teased. He walked forward. "**Why did you try to run?**"

"Answer mine first. Who are you, and what have you done to Edward?" she said.

"**I'm Lin. Since you're fighting the current, we have different approaches for keeping you here**," Lin walked over to a table. On it was some strange liquid.

"What have you done to Edward?" she repeated, watching Lin fill a syringe with the liquid.

"**Aren't you the curious one? Edward's right here. Obviously he wants nothing to do with my plans, but it's not like he has a choice.**"

"What are you going to do with me?"

"**You'll see soon**," Lin took out the bubbles out of the syringe, squirting the liquid into the air to intimidate her. Rydia coughed, the dust in the room was too much for anyone to be able to breathe normally.

"You're a bad kidnapper. I'm hungry and thirsty. Where's your common sense on taking care of a human being?" she said.

Lin laughed. "**Well I guess you can't take this without any food in your body**," he told her, gesturing to the syringe. He walked back outside, and Rydia could hear faint whispers about food. She looked around quickly. She was in an old, broken-down room. This time there was rope around her body, tying her down to the drabby, moth-eaten bed. She looked towards the nightstand, however the antique had nothing on it that she could use to help her escape once more.

Lin soon came back, holding a piece of bread and a glass of water. "**Here. Eat it quickly**, " he told her.

He shoved the bread and water into her hand. She glared at him as she ate. Lin watched her with a suspicious smile on his face.

"**Done?**" Lin asked.

"Do you need to ask?" she said bitterly. He leaned forward, close enough to hear her breathe. His golden locks of hair brushed against her face and neck. He caressed her face mockingly and kissed her. Rydia's stomach twisted violently, and she almost screamed, had he not covered her mouth before she could react.

"**You know I could do anything to you right now, and no one would hear you cry for help?**" he whispered softly. Her eyes widened as his lips pressed against her neck. She swallowed, eyes welling with tears. He quietly chuckled. "**But what would be the fun in that?**" Rydia shook, glaring daggers.

"**All right. Let's get started on the drug**," he said, rubbing his hands together in revealed excitement.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, pulling her body as far away from him as she could.

"**It won't hurt...at first**," Lin pinned her arms down, stabbing her shoulder with the syringe.

She sat with her eyes wide. Suddenly her senses began shutting down, and she felt herself being dragged from reality.

-3-

Rydia opened her eyes, gasping for air.

"Where-"

She looked around. Slowly, she realized that she was in Mist. She whirled around towards the houses, astounded. They weren't burnt down, but looked as they did before they were. She felt shorter than usual.

"How did I-" she looked down at the stream she was lying next to. She saw her 7-year-old self's reflection looking up at her.

"Rydia~" a familiar voice called out before she could process what she was staring at.

She looked up, and felt herself jump in surprise. "M-Mother?" she whispered.

"There you are!" Rydia's mother walked over with a smile on her face. "Let's go eat breakfast." The graceful woman whirled around, causing Rydia to snap out of her confusion.

"Mother!" she squealed and jumped on her back.

"My, what happened to you Rydia?" asked her mother, giggling at the little girl's strange behavior.

"Let's go Mommy! I'm getting hungry," Rydia said, pulling her mother by the hand towards their house.

Her mother giggled again, covering her mouth in the lady-like way that Rydia could oh-so-remember. Her gentle eyes always danced with happiness, and her smile was radiant.

"Rydia slow down or you might trip," her mother warned. Rydia slowed, but continued to hold her mother's hand.

"Mommy can we-" Rydia was cut off by an explosion nearby, and she felt her heart drop. The stench of smoke soon filled her nose when she saw a house ignite. She turned to her mother, who collapsed on the ground. It was then that Rydia knew why Lin looked forward to watching her take the drug. She sat down with tears streaming down her cheeks, rubbing her dead mother's back. Rydia shut her eyes, trying to block out the screams and now drifting smell of burnt meat. She began to relive the day Mist burned down.

-3-

Lin enjoyed himself, watching Rydia writhe in agony on the bed. He stood up, tied her back on the bed, and walked out of the secret room.

_So what was in the syringe? _asked Edward, doing his best to ignore her screams.

**"A fluid that makes you relive your worst memory, or anything that gave you great pain. But when you wake up, you feel really refreshed and forget what you dreamt of, and so it becomes addictive. With just the** **one injection she took, she should be withdrawing soon if I don't give her another."**

'_...Your plans will be destroyed. What are you really going to do? It's obvious you didn't do this for me, and I'm sick of your excuses._'

**"Do you really want to know?"**

_**'**__As the host for your mind control, I think I deserve to know.'_

"**...I want revenge. And I need Rydia for that."**

_'Revenge? For what? And to who?'_

"**For the death of my family. But to who, you'll never find out."**

_'One would think that I'd find out. After all, you're pretty much stuck with me. Revenge is NEVER the answer. Don't do this! You could find out the hard way or the easy way. But what happened to them?'_

"**Someone killed them. Alright, enough talking. I need to concentrate to drive this hovercraft** **in the middle of the night."**  
_**  
**_'._..This conversation isn't over.'_

Lin laughed. He turned on the hovercraft, but it was going to be very difficult to see in front of him. He needed to get there before sunrise, and knew it wasn't going to be easy.

-3-

Cecil paced back and forth in his luxurious bedroom. Rosa was sitting on the bed, watching him think.

"Think, why would Edge be heading towards Eblan during the search? Rosa, you and I both know he would never do that to her."

"Yes, his conscience would never leave him alone. Cecil, what if he found out something?"

"If he did, why wouldn't he tell us?"

"I don't know, but it's good enough reason for me. Should we ask him if he has any idea of where she might be?"

"No, he might just be exploring. Leave him be, and maybe he will find out something."

"Cecil, you know he tends to run out and do things alone for the sake of the people he loves."

"We'll keep an eye on him. If you want to you can ask, but I'm sure he won't open up."

"What if we ask Sierra?"

"The girl he came with?" Cecil asked, finally sitting down, "She might not tell either. And we don't know her well enough for her to trust us."

"I'll try tomorrow, before we go searching again," Rosa decided, "Let's go to bed, Cecil. We'll need our rest." She finally laid down, stretching her legs on the bed.

"You're right. Good night, Rosa," Cecil said, getting under the covers. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Cecil."

-3-

"Alright, spill it. Why were we going past the mountain range?" Sierra said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I told you," Edge said, "I was following Edward."

"Edge, I've known you all my life. You have amazing eyesight, so why would you need to follow so closely behind him?"

Edge stayed silent for a moment, frowning. "I didn't want to lose him," he finally said.

"Someone might think we took her though. Doesn't it sound suspicious for an airship to leave the search area and not give a reason when you return?" she told him.

"You're so paranoid, Sierra," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. She smacked him upside the head.

"Why do I even stay as your friend? All your teasing and abuse hurts me deep within," she said, dramatically clutching her heart.

"Says the one smacking me!" Edge exclaimed, dropping her to the ground with a sweep of his foot. She laughed, pulling his cloak down fast enough to make him fall next to her.

She looked at him seriously, and softly asked, "Edge, what is she like?"

Edge's smile faded as well. "Rydia? Well...she's powerful. She's a summoner, and the Eidolons she summons could destroy the world."

She shook her head, turned her body to face him. "No...as a person."

"She's a great person. She's determined, loyal, kind, smart, and brave. She lost a lot in the war too..." Edge continued, and Sierra rolled on her back, putting her hands on the back of her head.

After about ten minutes, Edge noticed that she was softly snoring. He sighed, picking her up and putting her in his bed. Soon he found himself thinking about Rydia again.

_Edward knows something, and whatever he knows can save or kill her. That's it, I'm going to his room._

Edge snuck out of the room quietly, and asked a guard where Edward's room was. The guard told him, and he walked to his door. Knocking softly, he waited until Edward called, "It's open!" before walking in.

"Hey Edward, long time no see. How did the search go for you?" Edge asked. Edward crossed his arms.

"Fine, I didn't find much."

"I didn't either. Where are you going to look next then?"

"I don't know, really." Edward sighed, sitting down on his bed. Edge stared in shock. Edward looked back at him, confused.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

Edge shrugged calmly, looking away. "Oh, nothing, except for the fact that the bed didn't sink when you sat down..."

Edward stood up quickly, crossing the room to the open door. But Edge was faster. Quickly Edge shoved Edward. His hands went through completely.

"I knew it!" Edge said. He opened the door and ran outside. He raced towards the boarding pad for the Falcon. Edge fired the engines, and flew towards Damcyan. The trip would last a while, and Sierra would probably be very pissed to find out he's gone. But Edge didn't care, as long as he knew the real Edward was behind this somehow and there was a chance to find Rydia.

-3-

Sierra's POV

I had always been a light sleeper. Many Eblanians praised me for it, but I always considered it a curse. The far away sounds of engines turning on woke me up. I yawned as I stood up, and looked out of the window as I pulled on my cloak. Groggily, I shuffled towards the window, scratching my neck. The noise was getting louder, and I saw the Falcon lift into the air, towards the northwest. Realization struck me, and I looked around for Edge.

_Edge...why did you leave without me?_ I frowned. _That dumbass! Did he forget that he could teleport there? _That last thought reminded me of the time when he tried to cross a river by walking across a moving log, and there was a bridge about ten feet away. I grinned at the memory, trying not to laugh. After all, people don't just start laughing out of nowhere. _I can't wait to tell him...imagine his face! _I watched it fly away, the engine sounds fading. The smell of freshly baked bread drifted in, and I couldn't help looking for the source. Soon I spotted it; someone was baking bread in the middle of the night. _Now who would be baking bread at-_-I looked up at the stars_ -one in the morning? _I sat on the windowpane, letting the cool air wake me up. _Wait, focus Sierra. _I shut my eyes and allowed the shadows in my mind to consume me. I felt warmth on my lower body, as though someone had wrapped themselves around my legs; I knew that the Ninjutsu seal was appearing brightly in front of me. I felt myself fall through the floor, as though it dissipated into fog. Light as a leaf, my feet touched the deck of the Falcon.

"Edge! What the fuck are you doing forgetting me?" I said, trying to look angry. Surprised, Edge turned around.

"Sierra how the fuck are you here?" He seemed pretty shocked.

"I used Ninjutsu, unlike the person who's going to take about two days to get to the place he needs to go," I smirked smugly. Edge blinked, crossing his arms.

"Oh? And if we do find Rydia, how are you going to take her back? The teleport spell that I taught you doesn't take other people with you."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand cue the awkward moment.

"Well, how would I know? I remember clearly that you were rushing me to learn the casting before you got in trouble. I didn't exactly get to read the guidelines before you took your royalty secret away from me." I shuffled owards him, yawning once more. "And really? You found Rydia?" I asked eagerly, my eyes widening. This woman who meant a lot to Edge, who kept Edge in line, who Edge becomes serious if something happens-Chills went down my spine. _Forget that Sierra. He's just your friend. Be happy he finally found someone to love. Maybe._Wasn't so sure if he did really like her or not.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we are going to at least find out where she is tonight. Let's teleport there, we can use Edward's hovercraft. I don't think we will be able to find her tonight."

I raised my eyebrows, cocking my head to one side. "I thought Edward was in Baron."

"No, it was fake. Like a hallucination," he told me, landing the airship. I sighed, pulling back my hair from my eyes.

"Let's go then," I said, closing my eyes, "You're wasting my magic, you know that?"

Edge chuckled. "Well don't worry, you don't need it." Soon we were standing outside Damcyan Castle.

"Hide," Edge whispered, pushing me into the shadows. I would've said something rude for pushing me, but his serious tone stopped me. I hid behind a pillar and saw through the torch light outside the Entrance halls Edward's hovercraft leave towards the bitter darkness.

"Shit! If we do find her, how are we going to get her back?" I said once the hovercraft was gone. I rubbed my hands together and pulled the cloak around me more tightly, since the desert was always colder at night.

"We'll figure it out. Come on, let's go exploring. You take the East Wing, I'll take the West Wing, and we'll rendezvous at the Throne Room in about ten minutes," Edge said.

I groaned, running swiftly through the entrance halls to the East Wing. Once inside, I heard footsteps walking towards me. I jumped through the first door I found, leaving the door open just a crack. Peering through, I saw a little boy nervously look at me through the door crack.

"Miss? Please don't go over there!" the little boy opened the door, pointing to the end of the corridor.

"What's over there?" I asked him as I bent to his eye level. I was slightly surprised at the boy's bravery to follow a mysterious woman in the middle of the night, especially one who didn't look like she was from Damcyan.

"There is a scary empty suit of armor over there and it makes you turn around whenever you reach the corner!" the little boy said, widening his eyes and mimicking its walk.

"Well thanks for telling me. I won't go there, okay? But you need to go back to your room, its really late for a boy as young as you to be up," I scolded him. The little boy nodded, and he ran back into another room, closing the door quietly. I stepped outside, and snuck into the West Wing, seeing Edge silently walk through the corridor. I whispered his name, and he turned around. He crept back as I beckoned to him.

"Edge, a boy just told me that there is a body-less suit of armor patrolling a part of the East Wing. I think Rydia could be there." I looked around nervously. Normally I felt safer in the dark, quiet night, even more so when Edge was around. Somehow, today was different, and a feeling of paranoia wouldn't leave me.

"Well let's go, but be careful," Edge said, leading the way. Once we made it into the East Wing, they moved through the shadows soundlessly. We leapt through the wing, hidden deep within the shadows, passing the suit of armor that the boy had mentioned with ease. We found a door that We wouldn't have been seen if there hadn't been a bloodcurdling scream coming from behind it. I took out my dagger as Edge slowly turned the knob. I slid in, on guard with my dagger in my left hand and pulled out a long blade I had stored on my back with my right, tense and ready for action. But there was no one there. I turned around to see that Edge was staring at the bed soundlessly. Standing up and looking towards the bed myself, I noticed the girl on it.

_She's very pretty..._I thought, almost jealous. _Her aura is so powerful_. The girl turned her head in her sleep, whimpering. I shook her. "Hey, wake up," I whispered gently. But the girl didn't wake up, and started whimpering even more. Clicking my tongue, I sawed through the ropes binding the girl and put her on my shoulder.

"Let's go, maybe she'll wake up later," I said, shifting Rydia to walk better. Edge nodded, and looked around.

"Wait... what is that?" Edge asked pointing at a table, and I saw a used syringe and purple liquid on a table.

"I don't know...but let's take some, we might be able to find out what it is," I said, shoving some in my pocket. Through the light that shone from the open door, I was able to notice something was behind me. The suit of armor somehow snuck into the room without either of us noticing. It heaved its spear at me, and I barely managed to duck in time to avoid injury. Edge grasped his blades, slicing through the metal. Another one flew in through the door, followed by many others. The suits were floating. _To prevent us from hearing them come in..._

"Dammit! What the hell is going on? Sierra, take her and jump out the window!" Edge said, running into the mass of metals that were flowing in. I gasped, watching them surround him. But I knew that I needed to get her out safe, so I nodded, and jumped past the arms that tried to get a grip of Rydia and me. Taking one last look back at my precious childhood friend, one of them pounded him to the floor. Wincing, I whispered, "Don't get too hurt Edge!" and jumped out the window. The wind whistled through my hair, and I shut my eyes to prevent the dust from entering them. I pulled Rydia into my arms, gripping her as I neared the ground. I tensed involuntarily, and crashed landed, rolling down a small, yet very painful hill. Coughing out the sand, I picked Rydia up and put her on my back, running towards the safety of a small forest while trying to create more saliva to get rid of all the sand. Hearing a soft whirring, I turned my head and, to my horror, saw the hovercraft return.

-3-

Edge spat blood onto his mask as the armor kicked him in the stomach. They all started pounding him on the floor. One of them grabbed his arm and twisted viciously. It made a sickening pop, and he groaned loudly. He started feeling lightheaded. _At least Rydia is safe._

He lifted his head up weakly when he heard footsteps. Lin was standing there, and with a wave of his hand the armors stopped hitting him.

"Well what's this? A little ninja caught in the act of stealing that which isn't his," he said, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face. Edge's jaw tightened.

"She's not yours either. So you're going to let pieces of metal do your work for you? Well that's just like you," he said, glaring at him. Lin was the least bit unfazed.

"Well don't be angry! You can have her when I'm done with her," Lin laughed.

"Maybe I won't give her to you," Edge said, "and you won't know where to look for her."

Lin's smile faded. "Move out of the way!" he ordered the armors. She wasn't on the bed.

"Damn this weak body," he murmured, knowing he wouldn't be able to threaten Edge with 'style'. The armors picked up Edge by the waist. "Where is she?" he asked, pulling out a tiny dagger from his pocket, pressing the blade against Edge's neck.

"I don't know," Edge said, staring him straight in the eyes. "But what I do know is that you are not Edward. I know because Edward wouldn't be able to make his own clone, though it is a hallucination. But mostly because Edward wouldn't grow a pair. So what did you do to him?"

Lin smirked as he pulled his blade away. "I am Edward. The new Edward. That one could never make it as a king. Trust me when I say: if you don't give me Rydia, I'll blame you for all of this."

Edge raised his eyebrows. "How so? You are over here too, and I could easily explain why I am in Damcyan."

Lin tapped his foot impatiently. "I have my ways."

"Look, Rydia is safe now, and you'll never find her. Torture me, kill me, but not even I know where she is now. I can't help you with this."

"Don't worry about me killing you. Cecil will do it for me."

"Edward-" Edge managed to say before being dragged to the bedpost and tied down. They took off his mask and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hush now, no one can hear you anymore. And as I told everyone else, I am not Edward, I no longer want to be known as Edward,_ I am Lin._" Lin walked away. "I guess I'll find her myself. She's with your friend, right? The girl with the lavender hair? Now Edge, I can't guarantee that she'll be alive once I...retrieve Rydia."

Edge was left alone as the suits followed Lin out the door. _Sierra...don't let him catch you. I'll be looking for you soon, once I get out of these ropes._

Lin was truly not thinking, because, despite his injuries, Edge got out of the ropes within 5 minutes. Discarding the bloody mask, he jumped out the window as well._  
_-3-  
Sierra's feet pounded the sand. _Almost...there! _She was still holding on to the sleeping girl. Gradually the sand turned into grass. Another two miles and she would be able to make it into the forest and hide Rydia. _I need to go back for Edge. Edward can't possibly be that tough, but together Edge and I can beat him! _She turned her head, looking behind her. She could dimly see the castle past her foggy breath. She faced the woods again, needing another 5 minutes to make it. Rydia starting whimpering louder, and Sierra stopped to wrap her inside her cloak. Sighing, she looked towards the woods. They were dark, and given the time that it is, a lot of monsters should be out. _Well, I guess we can stop here. It's almost like a meadow, and if I see anyone coming then we can run the last bit into the woods._

She gently lowered Rydia on the ground. "Hey, wake up," she gently nudged Rydia until she stopped whimpering. Grunting, Sierra sat down and shook her a little rougher. Rydia stirred, and opened her eyes.

"...What...Where am I?" Rydia tried to sit up, but Sierra set her down again.

"Careful! You know you're sick right? Stay here, I'll go in the woods and bring some firewood so we can be warm." Sierra adjusted the cloak over Rydia. Rydia looked at her in bewilderment.

"Who are you?' she asked. Sierra laughed, smacking herself lightly on the head.

"I forgot to introduce myself!I am Sierra, Edge's friend." She smiled at Rydia.

"Edge...where is he?" Rydia looked around, trying to sit up again.

"Edge needed to be left behind...to save you. Don't worry, I plan on going back to him. But first I need you to be healthy enough to be left alone."

"Left behind? What about Edward/Lin?"

"Edward/Lin?" Sierra raised her eyebrows.

Rydia nodded. "A man by the name of Lin possessed him. And he was still there when I knocked out. How did I knock out?" She looked away, trying to think back to what happened.

"Oh! Was it this?" Sierra pulled out the vial of the liquid, handing it to Rydia. Rydia flashed back, remembering the liquid be injected into her arm.

"Yes..." She said as she tilted the vial, watching the liquid move around.

"Let me go get the firewood then. I'll be back, just scream if anything happens to you." Sierra said as she stood up and ran into the woods. Sneaking around, she took broken branches off the floor without getting caught by the nocturnal monsters. She started walking back when she remembered Rydia most likely hasn't eaten. _How do I get her food?_ She looked around. A bird had left its nest in a tree. Sierra climbed up the tree, stealthy as a cat. It was asleep, covering some of the eggs, but leaving the three completely unprotected. _Sorry birdy... _She slowly took the eggs into her sleeve, and jumped down quietly. Grabbing the firewood once more, she ran back towards Rydia.

"Here we go," Sierra cheerfully said, dropping the branches on the floor. She sat down once more and broke them into smaller pieces. "So that liquid is a sleeping drug?" Sierra looked towards Rydia. Rydia shook her head.

"I have no idea what it is, exactly. But I doubt all it does is make you sleep."

"Well, what else could it do? You just slept, didn't you? No strange mutations, no sudden heart attacks?" Sierra pulled some firewood together. Using two rocks she started a fire. Rydia sighed.

"No...but I have a feeling that it did something in my sleep. Otherwise why would I feel like there is something I'm forgetting?"

"I think you were having a bad dream, because you were screaming and whimpering. In fact, if it wasn't for your scream, we might've not noticed where you were before we were caught by those suits of armor."

Rydia paused, thinking. "I don't remember any dreams, though." Rydia's hands started shaking as Sierra started the fire._ There's no reason for my hands to shake. _

"Well, maybe you'll remember later, when you relax." Sierra poked the fire until it was large enough to support itself, then pulled out the eggs from her sleeve and cracked them on a very thin slate of rock. Using two other rocks for support, she put the slate over the fire and created a makeshift stove. "Bet you're pretty hungry right now. Don't worry, the eggs are heating up nice!" Sierra used another rock to move the eggs around. Rydia's hands became clammy and sweaty. She dried them on her stained shirt. _What's wrong with me? _Her stomach twisted violently, making her curl up in pain.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sierra asked. Rydia looked up at her.

"Just a cramp, I'll be fine," Rydia lied. Her regained magic reserves started depleting again, rapidly. Sweat broke out on her forehead, and she started breathing faster.

"It's not just a cramp!" Sierra jumped up, feeling Rydia's forehead. "You're sick! You have a fever!" she exclaimed, looking through her pockets. She held out a small container.

"What is that?" Rydia managed to ask before she had to start breathing harder. Her muscles were becoming really sore.

"An Eblanese herbal mix. It cures any colds, any pains, and any medical illness. This is rare to have, because one of the herbs is almost extinct. But eat it." Sierra opened the container, and dropped the olive-green herbal powder into Rydia's mouth. Rydia gagged at the bad taste. "Don't think, just swallow," Sierra told her. Rydia swallowed with difficulty. Sierra watched her. Slowly, Rydia's breathing returned to normal. Sierra pulled out the rock holding the eggs.

"Eat the eggs before you knock out, because that medicine will make you sleep soon," Sierra said, handing Rydia the rock. Rydia ate the eggs as fast as she could, but managed to fall asleep before she could finish them. Sierra watched her sleep, and ate the remaining eggs. _I can't leave her like this. From what Edge and the others say, she's strong. The herb's powers will be absorbed quickly by her magic. Maybe she'll sleep for an hour. Until then... _Sierra lay down, staring up at the stars. _I can only hope you aren't dead, Edge._

_-3-  
_

Edge winced at the pain. He fell on his bad arm, and it hurt like hell. Standing up, he looked for footprints in the sand.

_Like hell I'll let you get to them first._

**A/N:** Okay. I'm done. Just recently, my key doesn't work anymore on my keyoard. Try to guess which utton that is -.- So I had to cut this chapter a little shorter due to the fact that it'll (A _ C D) more difficult to continue with my typing in a state like this. Seriously you guys. Y U NO REVIEW? I'm going depressed or something. If no one reviews I guess no one's reading and I'll stop updating this (even though I want to finish it...) Oh well. It's up to you guys. Do you want me to finish this?Then please review. If not, review anyways and tell me what's not good in this since I want to get...gooder at this (what? I don't have the use of one of my letters, don't judge!) See y'all later, hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7: Hide and Seek

Sierra watched the stars move overhead until they faded away. Only the moon remained perched on the purple sunrise, a remnant of a disturbing night.

_If only I'd paid attention to the stars when I got here; I would now what time it is by now in Baron._

Atthe moment it was around 5:00, and she figured it'd be 3:00 in Baron. Rydia stirred and sat up, letting Sierra's cloak fall off her frame.

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You're awake." Sierra turned to face Rydia completely. "I'd say it's around 5:00, almost 6:00 in the morning."

Rydia wrapped the cloak around her waist. She stood up and shook her legs. "So are we going back to Damcyan?"

Sierra started walking towards the hardly visible castle. "Of course! We can't just leave Edge behind, can we?"

Rydia smiled. "Let's hurry then." She gathered her skirts and they both started running at Rydia's pace.

-3-

Edge was exhausted. Now that the sun had risen, he noticed that he was leaving a trail of blood drops.

_Damn, how far did she go?_

He held his stomach tightly with his uninjured arm. The castle was still close by, and it angered him that he hadn't been able to get far. His vision started blurring.

_No...not...here. They're vulnerable..._

But his vision gave way to darkness. He started losing his balance and collapsed on the ground.

-3-

16 year old Aaron pulled his sister by the arm as he tugged a tank of fresh water by a rope.

"Hey! Don't pull! I can walk all by myshelf!" She pouted.

"Hurry up already then! We need to get back to the castle before the sun goes any higher."

She wrenched her arm away, walking slightly faster than him.

"Why did we have to leave at 3 in the morning? We could've gone at 4!" Jess whined, thrashing her arms in the air.

Aaron sighed. _Thanks Sis, you could've taken her with you to your job, but nooooo...leave Jess with me._

Jess stopped in front of him_. _He groaned.

"What is it now?"

She pointed at something. "Look! There'sh a man with shilver hair over there! On the ground! Over there!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Another imaginary friend? I'm getting worried about you."

"NO! LOOK!" She screamed at him, hopping up and down. His eyes followed her finger. His eyes widened when he saw a man sprawled on the ground.

"What the-" He started running towards him, sand flying into the air around him. There was blood starting to pool around the unconscious man.

"Jess! Close the lid on the tank and help me keep it steady!" He yelled at her while he pulled the man onto the tank.

"What are we going to do with him Aaron? He might be a bad guy! Big Shis said don't talk to shtrangers!" Jess shrieked.

"Shut up and keep walking!" Aaron dragged the tank along, grunting with every strain.

_By all means this man ain't light..._

"Jess...get behind the tank and help me push," he panted, cleaning the sweat off his brow after pulling for half the distance towards Damcyan Castle.

For once Jess silently did what he said. Together, they both managed to drag the tank across the desert within an hour. On the stone floor now, the tank was easily pulled within their living confines. Their older sister, Anastelle, was waiting impatiently on the large bed they all shared.

"What took you so long? I'm almost late to work, and I need that water alre-oh my-WHAT HAVE YOU-" She rushed to the man.

Aaron closed the door behind him. He pressed his sweaty palms on the door, chest heaving.

"Found him-in desert-Fix him Ann," he managed. His sister looked up at him, biting her lip.

"I don't know if I can, I didn't have much training..."

He grabbed her by the arms.

"Just try. The healing pots are upstairs, and I can't drag him over there. Besides, he's unconscious anyways, he can't drink from it."

She stood up, smoothing her work uniform.

"...Fine. But take him to the bed," she said, taking the covers off the bed and smoothing the sheets. Aaron picked him up by the shoulders and noticed one of them was too loose. _Must be dislocated...What happened to this man? _He grunted, pulling the man across the room, finally placing him on the bed. Anastelle ran into the kitchen, pulling some bandages and gauzes from the cabinet.

"Get a bowl of water from the tank, and get me a towel," Anastelle said to Jess. She nodded and ran to retrieve the supplies. Anastelle tore the shirt down the middle.

"What the-" Jess handed her a bowl of water with a towel underneath. "Thanks, go tell my boss I can't go today; tell him I'm sick."

"What? You're shick? You better lie down Shis!" Jess ran out the door, and Anastelle heard her sister's footsteps fade down the hall. She leaned over the bed and shut the window's wooden door.

"Look at this, Aaron." She turned on a lamp and pointed to three shallow wounds inside an oval like bruise. "He was kicked by someone wearing armor. Where did you find him?"

Aaron studied the bruise. "The desert."

"Was there anyone else there? Anything that could explain how he got there?"

He frowned, trying to remember. "No...he was walking away from the castle; there were drops of blood leading from here, but I couldn't just leave him there. Father taught me better..."

Anastelle smiled at him. "Of course..."

Jess ran back in, screaming, "I told him, I told him!"

She grinned, the dust caked around her eyes cracking a little. Anastelle frowned. She gently dabbed the towel in the water.

"Aaron, take Jess in for a bath. Was it windy out there?"

"Come on Jess. A bit, but only when we got to the oasis." He took Jess's hand and led her to the large tub they had inside their bathroom. Anastelle watched them for a while, then returned to the bleeding man. She sighed. _I hope you won't harm us when you wake up..._

-3-

Sierra turned her head back towards Rydia. She had slowed down, with Sierra about 50 feet in front of her.

"Tired?" she yelled back, seeing Rydia's face flushed, struggling to breathe. Rydia nodded and started walking. Sierra waited until she caught up to start walking as well. The sun started beating down on them.

"It's only six in the morning, right?" Rydia asked. Sierra looked at the sun once more before nodding.

"Almost seven."

"Then why is it so _hot _already?" She whined. Sierra shrugged.

"I got used to the desert. This isn't as hot as Eblan back then, when me and Edge were training."

"They trained you? I didn't see any female guards inside the cave..."

"It's because I'm the only one." Sierra muttered.

They stopped walking once they stepped in the shadow of the large castle. They stared in silence for several seconds, until Sierra spoke.

"I don't remember which window we fell out of..." She crept onto the windowsills, sneaking a peek into the windows.

Rydia sighed. She started pacing, when a soft jingle sounded near the ground. She looked down, raising her eyebrows. The necklace lay on the floor. _What the..._

Where had it been? She didn't know. But she picked it up, studying it once more. It glittered in the sunlight, capturing all the rays and splattering them onto her clothes. She pulled the ends around her neck and locked the clasp. Sierra dropped on the ground next to her.

"I forgot..." Sierra scratched her head. Rydia smiled at her.

"It's okay, we can find him. Let's blend in with the crowd." She pointed at the residents of the castle beginning to move in and out of the entrance. Sierra raised her eyebrows.

"I can blend in, but your outfit..." Rydia looked down. The tears and stains on her blouse wouldn't go unnoticed.

"Tell you what. I'll sneak you into an empty room, and put you in new clothes. Now come on, we gotta hurry before enough people start waking to do any sneaking."

Sierra pulled Rydia by the wrist, taking her around the castle and snuck a look into the first opened window. She snapped back, and ducked under the window to a next one. This process repeated several times until she beckoned Rydia to a window near the back.

"Hurry, they might come back," she whispered as she boosted Rydia in. Rydia threw open the drawers, not bothering to put things back. Finally she pulled out a long red dress. It looked about her size. Sierra peeked her head over the window frame, and Rydia saw the urgency flash in her eyes. She rushed to throw off the tattered rags and cloak and slip into the dress. It fit her too loose, but Sierra had already snuck in. She picked up the cloak and tapped Rydia to follow her. They crept into the hall, hearing the door click into place.

"So what now?" Rydia asked. Sierra put her cloak on and pulled the hood over her head.

"Avoid attention, and crowded places," she said as she walked towards the back hall. "And lets hope this castle is similar to Eblan..."

_**A/N:**__ Retarded Fish: _Don't judge. Too much happened, to the point that I was extremely stressed. I blame calculus. Well here's the update, have fun reading.


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